Thank you to BabyT2699 for the reviews! And to Byron W.4 for being an awesome history Beta! The next chapter about Carentan is already written, and will be up a couple days after this one. Thank you for reading, reviews are always appreciated it! Xoxo
Thank you icanttellthemthatsir on Tumblr for help with the German translation!
Edit: Noticed I had some timeline issues with Malarkey's injured hand, went back and fixed it!
Chapter 10: Vierville
Normandy, France
June 6 - June 11th
Emilia lay crouched in the grass, shaded and camouflaged by a large tree on the outskirts of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. Her dark-streaked, war-painted face, and olive drab uniform helped her blend in perfectly with the forest environment around her. She had remained pinned in the same spot for hours, and that entire time she had witnessed what she believed to be a massacre.
Fellow paratroopers who were miss-dropped had landed in the small, French town, only to be sucked right into enemy fire, suspended from nearby trees and churches - making them easy targets for the German forces waiting below, and were either killed or taken prisoner. Emilia could do nothing but watch, brandishing nothing but an M1911 pistol, she would've of been much help. She would've been captured or killed herself if she went rushing in, so her only option was to wait it out.
Now the morning sun was creeping in, lighting up the dark sky, and the Germans had started to move out. The town wasn't completely cleared, but it had thinned out enough for Emilia to finally feel safe enough to get moving. She kept herself amongst the tree-line, moving stealthy in the woods in order to remain undetected. Eventually she reached the outside dirt path of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, and saw the fork-in-the-road. Luckily, Emilia spoke fluent French, just as she spoke fluent German and Spanish, so reading the signs wasn't an issue for her. She had jumped out of the C-47 with a map in her pant-leg pocket, and was so relieved to still have it with her.
Emilia unfolded the map, and determined what the best route for her to take would be. The rallying point was Le Grand Chemin, which was south 425 kilometers away. The goal was to ultimately make it there, although doing so by foot wouldn't be possible. Seeing how far off she had been miss-dropped made her internally groan. At the fork she had the option to head south toward Saint-Nazaire, or take a slight left and head toward Caen. She decided to go south, which would save her time and miles.
She didn't get very far.
The sound of weeping made Emilia stop in her tracks. She lowered herself closer down to the dirt path, listening-in on where the source of the cries were coming from. She debated whether she should investigate, or just keep on walking. It could be a fellow American paratrooper who was hurt, or it could be… something else. Other voices started speaking, causing Emilia to nearly throw herself to the ground in a prone position to stay out of sight. She realized the voices were speaking English, and some of them sounded familiar to her.
"Blithe, c'mon, get outta there. We need to get moving."
Emilia definitely recognized that voice.
She decided to follow it, and came across what appeared to be a small mixed of other companies, followed by two men from Easy Company that she recognized.
Floyd Talbert and Albert Blithe.
Talbert was perched outside a foxhole, trying to coax Blithe out, who appeared to be timid and weepy as he sat inside the foxhole, hugging his knees and refusing to look the Sergeant in the eyes. The other soldiers watched the conflict with tired and irritated eyes, looking just as frustrated as Emilia did when she realized how far she had landed from the rallying point. But seeing Talbert had made a wave of relief wash over her, and she felt happy for the first time in two days.
She approached the group, drawing the attention of some of the men. They watched her closely, stunned and speechless by this graceful and angelic woman who had came out of nowhere, streaked in war-paint, and dressed in BDUs. Some of the men swore they were dreaming or hallucinating; seeing a mirage of a beautiful woman that could rank in the running with Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, and Ava Gardner.
"What're you boys up to?" She greeted.
Tab looked over at her, surprised to hear her voice and to see him standing before her. He straightened up immediately, feeling suddenly flustered.
"Emilia! I mean, uh, Sergeant Valdez! It's good to see you," Talbert greeted.
"Likewise, I was afraid I wouldn't see a familiar face again," she admitted uncomfortably. Emilia wasn't a woman used to confessing fear, nor did she show it often.
Talbert glanced back at Blithe, whom still had his head down. The other men simply gaped at Emilia, still in awe of her presence. Emilia explained to them about the miss-drop issue, and how far they were from the original DZ. Everyone agreed that Emilia should scout ahead, since she was the one with the map, and had the most experience with Intelligence.
As Emilia walked ahead, one of the men started making comments about her, much to Tab's annoyance. If he was physically drooling it would have been less conspicuous. She ignored him as she usually did when men acting this way about her.
"Take a look at that chest candy, eh?" The soldier from Charlie Company said lasciviously. "What I wouldn't give to have my face buried between her-"
"Private, that's enough," Tab cut off in irritation.
"Seriously? Do you not see her? How does anyone in your company get anything done with that round behind walking around everywhere. I tell ya, if she was in my company, I'd-"
"I said enough!" Tab snapped, more aggressive than last time.
The group stopped, now drawn into the confrontation. Even Blithe seemed to be pulled from his dazed state to observe what was going on. Emilia couldn't ignore any longer. She turned to face the soldier, who grinned with a noticeable leer, liking the attention.
"Say, where've you been all my life, doll?"
"Is that how you talk to a ranking officer, Private?" Emilia questioned, her eyebrows raised in annoyance.
"Oh, I'll serve under you anyday."
"Okay," Talbert sighed in irritation, now stepping in front of the lewd-speaking soldier. "Do you want us to court-martial you?"
The sound of distant gunfire quieted them all down. The source had to be about a mile away, or close. The artillery fire was to their left, off the path. They all waited, holding their breath in anxious anticipation of whatever could come next.
Emilia wondered if it would be worth venturing off the path to see if it was some Ally troops who needed aid, or if they should keep walking down the path. If there were Germans, the handful of them couldn't take on an entire platoon on their own. Since Emilia and Talbert were the highest ranking soldiers present, it would ultimately be their call. Emilia glanced over at him for assurance, and he seemed like he was conflicted with the decision as well.
"Well, Sergeant Valdez, what do you think? You have the lay of the land better than I do," Tab asked.
"If we head that way, the nearest town is Saint-Marie-du-Mont. It could be more paratroopers facing enemy resistance, and maybe there's even some from our own companies there. It's not too far off the path, we'd still be in the Manche department."
"Wait a minute, you don't actually want us to go over there, do you?" One of the soldiers piped up.
"If there's a chance there's more of our own there, then it would be smart to form a bigger group," Emilia answered evenly.
"There ain't no way in hell-"
"Well too bad, it's an order," Tab interjected, "get your weapons ready if you have any, let's go see what's up ahead."
As the group trekked off path, into the unknown, Emilia fell behind to walk beside Blithe. He hadn't said a word since she united with them. He stared ahead, fearfully, his eyes glassy and damp with fresh tears. She tried to speak to him, but his mumbled replies were low and hard to hear. Eventually Emilia gave up, and fell back in line with Talbert. She found him to be much better company.
0000
A few miles down the path,the rest of the paratroopers from the 1st and 2nd battalion gathered around with what remained of Easy Company after Brecourt, which had grown overnight as more soldiers found their company, in the town of Saint-Marie-du-Montafter.
Now mixed units from Able, Baker, and Charlie Company of the 1st battalion, were passing through a bombed-out village called Vierville.
Vierville was only 12 kilometers from Sainte-Mère-Eglise, and even closer to Saint-Marie-du-Mont. Marie and Emilia were close to each other without even knowing it, and yet were worrying that the other one was dead or injured. Vierville appeared to be a ghost town. Civilians had most likely fled, and there were no reports of German activity. Pathfinders had entered the town before them, and had said there weren't any Germans present, but the companies were still on high-alert.
Lt. Colonel Strayer and Captain Hester wanted another reconnaissance patrol through Vierville, and wanted Easy Company to take point. Brecourt Manor had only been mere hours before, and the battle-worn company was already being sent on another mission that could possibly turn into a battle. Winters wasn't happy, Marie could see it on his face, but there wasn't anything he could do. Winters was still frustrated when he repeated the orders, and gathered the small group of Easy Company that were present in order to prepare for the worst.
"Let's hope there actually isn't any Krauts," Malarkey mumbled.
Marie stood beside Malarkey, her stance so close that Malarkey could practically feel her body temperature radiating off of her. After Malarkey had ran into enemy fire to check a dead body for a luger, she had been extra paranoid and careful with him. He smiled over at her, looking at her with silent admiration. He had the urge to reach out and grasp her hand, although that wouldn't be taken well with the officers standing around. Malarkey couldn't help but imagine how soft and nice her hands must've felt in that moment. She noticed him staring, and looked back at him, returning his smile with a meek one.
"Okay, c'mon, Winters is-" Guarnere started, then stopped when he saw what the two of them were doing.
Marie's face turned scarlet. Malarkey rubbed the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with their squad leader. Guarnere watched the two of them with suspicion a moment longer.
"Winters is givin' out more instructions, let's go," Guarnere barked.
The three of them joined Winters again. Marie could feel Guarnere's scrutinized gaze on her the entire time of the briefing, and tried her best to ignore it.
"Okay, Welsh will be leading 1st platoon, Lieutenant Compton 2nd. And Rousch is in charge of 3rd. There hasn't been any Germans sighted in Vierville, but that could've changed, so I want everyone to be alert and focused. I want 1st platoon to be to the left of the path, and 2nd to be on the right. 3rd platoon will be in reserve with additional mortars for support just in case," Winters explained.
"Are we the only company going into Vierville, sir?" Buck asked.
"As of right now, yes. Companies A, B, and C had already went through the town earlier. I'm not sure what Strayer wants Dog and Fox Company to do just yet," Winters replied.
"So Easy Company is doing all the work again?" Liebgott asked, although to Marie it sounded more like a statement.
Winters didn't respond, but by the tired expression on his face, Marie knew he silently agreed with Liebgott. The beginning of Operation Overlord had only started yesterday, and all of them already seemed so worn from combat. Their chances of encountering Germans was slim, so they had that to look forward to, at least.
As Easy Company made their way toward Vierville, the few civilians they passed turned to flee, and hide away in their houses. Soldiers in uniform marked the potential for another battle to them, so they hid away and prepared the best they could. The cobblestone streets echoed loudly with the marching of combat boots; the quiet made their marching almost deafening to everything else in the world around them.
Marie noticed something shimmer in a second-story window in one of the partially demolished buildings. She stared at it intently, squinting to focus better. The shine went away, then returned, almost glowing with the sunlight hitting it. As she marched, Marie slowed her pace, transfixed by whatever that was. In the window next to the mysterious shining thing, Marie noticed a discarded parachute hanging from the window.
"Oh shit, GET DOWN!" Buck yelled, alerting all of 2nd platoon.
A shot rang out from the window, right as his words left his lips. The bullet struck beside Marie's boot, kicking up stones with the impact. She couldn't believe her naivety; she had been staring at the glimmering scope of a sniper, and didn't even realize it.
The three platoons broke off the main road, running out of eyesight and taking cover behind anything they could find. As Easy Company scrambled to safety, the barrels of more guns stuck out of windows and began to shoot at them. The gunfire had been concentrated to one building, but the enemy had the tactical advantage with a higher vantage point. The gunfire was relentless enough for Strayer to see through his binoculars from half a mile up the road, and become panicked to send for help. He radioed Fox Company on Easy Company's left to help, as they waited, shielding themselves from the barrage. As the anxious soldiers waited, they got a call from Fox Company reporting that they ran into German resistance as well. So Strayer committed, but Dog Company pinned down.
Marie huddled beside Malarkey, Guarnere, and Buck, holding her helmet down tighter against her head as each bullet struck the broken wall they were taking cover behind. Every Time Guarnere and Buck tried to peek over to get see exactly where the firing was coming from, more bullets made them hide away.
"Goddammit! We could take them out if we could see properly!" Buck swore.
Malarkey had started to set up his mortar, although there was nothing he could do right now. He'd be shooting blind if he tried to fire at the source of the gunfire. Every window from the building the Germans were holed-up in was releasing bullets furiously. Most of the mortars were still in reserves, further back from 2nd platoon. Guarnere got down in a prone position and started to crawl.
"Bill, where ya going?" Malarkey asked, bewildered.
"I gotta get to Luz so I can radio the targets!" Guarnere replied as he crawled toward 1st platoon.
"Wait, Sergeant Guarnere," Marie called, getting low and trying to reach for him before he exposed himself to the enemy, fearing he'd get hurt.
"Hang back, Docherty! I'll be right back!" Guarnere yelled over his shoulder.
She could do nothing but watch him hustle over toward George Luz. Marie watched him get on the radio, trying to contact 3rd platoon. Guarnere had a clearer line of sight in his new position, as he started to call out the targets in which windows the Germans were now shooting out of. Malarkey, and the other mortar squad, had started to prepare his 60mm to fire.
Easy Company had entered the supposedly "safe" town of Vierville at 06:00 hours, and help did not arrive until around 09:00 hours. 1st battalion came rolling in with tanks, helping the mortars finish off the Germans.
0000
Back in Saint-Marie-du-Mont, two German POWs had been captured after the fight. Emilia and the small group had arrived just in time to aid a group from the 502nd with taking the small town back. The Germans were on their knees, their hands behind their head as some of the soldiers circled around them. Emilia was the only soldier who could speak German, so the interrogating was up to her. As she squatted before the Germans and asked them questions, they refused to answer, instead leaning toward insults instead. Emilia wanted to get some information out of them, especially since they would be walking down toward Le Grand Chemin into mostly uncharted territory.
"Ich werde nicht nochmal fragen…" (I am not going to ask you again) Emilia started, sighing deeply in frustration from the POWs vague answers, "Wo ist der Rest deines Regiments?" (Where is the rest of your regiment).
There was only enough to be a small platoon present, Emilia didn't believe them when they said they were it. She didn't want to risk the possibility of walking into an ambush in the future. The only thing she had been able to gather from them was they were part of the 6th Fallschimjager regiment, a paratrooper regiment in fact. Irritated, Emilia took a break to go review her map to double-check routes. Tab noticed her sitting by herself, and went and sat beside her.
"Any luck with the Krauts?"
"No, they were tight-lipped," Emilia sighed, staring down at her map.
"So, what happens now? Are you going to go back and try to interrogate them again?"
Emilia shrugged: "Not sure, what can I do exactly? They surrendered, it's not like we can torture them for information, that's against the Geneva Convention. All they told me was that they were part of a paratrooper regiment, and that they were all that was left. I'm sure that's a lie."
As Emilia studied the map, she determined possible alternative routes the small mix-matched group of soldiers could take instead of walking down main roads for safety.
She pointed to the map, gathering Tab's attention.
"Intersection D-913, Route Nationale 13. According to the 502nd that's a busy intersection for traffic, both our soldiers and Krauts alike. I wonder if it would be a good idea to see if we can find any more members of Easy Company there? But it may be swarming with Krauts," she explained.
"Dead Man's Corner, huh? That's what one of the guy's from the 502nd called it," Tab replied.
She looked over at Tab for affirmation, but his baby-blue eyes stared at her in wonder instead. Talbert was amazed by Emilia, and even more so after the past few hours of being reunited with her. She had great leadership skills, kept calm in combat, handling snags with grace, and even now she was trying to make the best decision based on keeping the men safe. Emilia touched her cheek, and felt around her paint-streaked face, trying to figure out what he was looking at.
"What?" Emilia questioned softly.
"I just think you're incredible," he admitted.
Just like the night before they flew into Normandy, Floyd Talbert had left her speechless once again. Emilia was surprised that this man had that effect on her, to stun her with kindness and his genuine nature. The two locked eyes for a moment, although it felt like an eternity.
Tab eventually found the courage to lean in, and she let him kiss her. Her previous worries about fraternization melting away.
0000
Colonel Sink had set up a makeshift HQ in the farming hamlet known as Angoville-au-plain, just south of Vierville. Easy Company had finally gotten a break on June 8th after back-to-back battles in Brécourt Manor and Vierville. The small farming community had an abundance of wine, much to the men's excitement. Winters was far from pleased when the soldiers started to get drunk, but no one could deny that the temporary merriment was a good boost for morale.
Marie lay on a pile of hay, grateful that she found something softer than the ground to rest on. Malarkey had been drinking wine, and sat beside the hay, talking loudly with the rest of 2nd platoon. She thought about Emilia and Muck as they celebrated loudly with the fact that they were still alive.
She hoped that they were alive and well, perhaps celebrating with alcohol in a quiet town in war-ridden France somewhere. She thought about Barbara, and how Dog Company had encountered resistance trying to come to Vierville to aid Easy Company. She thought about Diana's plane going down the two nights before, and thought about the likely possibility of her being dead, along with their missing CO, Meehan. The unpleasant thoughts swirled in her mind like a destructive tornado, and she was powerless to stop it. Even with Malarkey's flushed, smiling face beaming up at her with drunk admiration, she still felt a coldness in the pit of her stomach because of the unknown.